Skip to main content
Hamburger Menu Close

Advertisement

World

England lifts COVID-19 restrictions as Omicron threat recedes

England lifts COVID-19 restrictions as Omicron threat recedes

Workers walk over London Bridge towards the City of London financial district, backdropped by Tower Bridge, during the morning rush hour, in London, Monday, Jan 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

LONDON: Most coronavirus restrictions including mandatory face masks were lifted in England on Thursday (Jan 27), after Britain’s government said its vaccine booster roll-out successfully reduced serious illness and COVID-19 hospitalisations.

From Thursday, face coverings are no longer required by law anywhere in England, and a legal requirement for COVID-19 passes for entry into nightclubs and other large venues has been scrapped.

The government last week dropped its advice for people to work from home as well as guidance for face coverings in classrooms.

The so-called “Plan B” measures were introduced in early December to stop the rapid spread of the Omicron variant from overwhelming health services and to buy time for the population to get its booster vaccine shot.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the government’s vaccine roll-out, testing and development of antiviral treatments combine to make “some of the strongest defenses in Europe", allowing a “cautious return” to normality.

But he added that “as we learn to live with COVID, we need to be clear eyed that this virus is not going away”. While infections continue to fall, health officials said that Omicron remained prevalent across the country, especially among children and the elderly.

People wear face masks to curb the spread of coronavirus, which is still a mandatory requirement on Transport for London public transport services, as they travel on a bus going over London Bridge towards the City of London financial district during the morning rush hour in London, Monday, Jan 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

Officials said that almost 84 per cent of people over 12 years old in the UK have had their second vaccine dose, and that of those eligible, 81 per cent have received their booster shot.

Hospital admissions and the number of people in intensive care units have stabilised or fallen, and daily cases have fallen from a peak of over 200,000 cases a day around New Year to under 100,000 in recent days.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said last week that the surge of Omicron infections “has now peaked nationally”.

As the government moved away from legal measures, some shops and public transport operators say they will continue to ask people to don their face masks. London Mayor Sadiq Khan said face coverings will still be required on the capital's buses and subway trains.

The legal requirement for those infected to self-isolate for five full days remains, but Johnson said that measure will also end soon, to be replaced with advice and guidance for those infected to be cautious.

Health officials have said they are planning a longer-term, post-pandemic strategy that treats COVID-19 more like the flu.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, which make their own public health rules, have similarly relaxed their virus restrictions.

BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic and its developments

Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus pandemic: https://cna.asia/telegram

Source: AP/ta

Advertisement

RECOMMENDED

Advertisement